Winning solves everything and following a 1-0 victory over Athletic Club, Atletico Madrid fans will be considerably happier as they look at the table and find themselves in third place. However it appears that the Joao Felix controversy is here to stay.
The Portuguese started seven of Atletico Madrid’s opening eight games but ever since the international break, Felix has been dropped by Simeone. Against Athletic, Felix was once again on the bench and came on for the final eight minutes. It takes his total game time over the last five matches to 37 minutes.
Speaking to Caught Offside, Fabrizio Romano gave the inside track on the matter in his column.
“The situation is tense because Joao Felix wants to play more, while Diego Simeone is trusting other players in this moment. Atletico Madrid insist they have no intention to sell Joao, as there’s a €350m release clause.”
“I’m aware there was some speculation about Manchester United in the summer, but there was nothing advanced or concrete with United.”
“Still, I think he’d be a fantastic signing for many European clubs because his potential is enormous, this has been obvious since his days as a youngster at Benfica, so I hope Atletico will keep and trust Joao for present and future.”
The return of Antoine Griezmann to the starting line-up makes that look increasingly unlikely.
As Simeone has pointed out, Felix is simply not playing as well as some of his other options and under him, selection will be based on performances. It